Traffic signal



R. D. DOUGLASS.

TRAFFIC SIGNAL.

APPLICATION FILED N0v.29. L920.

1,417,809. Patented y 30, 1922.

2 SHEETSSHEET L.

R. D. DOUGLASS.

TRAFFIC SIGNAL.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.29. I920.

Patented May 30, 1922..

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

l 4 AL:

UNlTEE ROY D. DOUGLASS, OF MINNEAPOLIS. MINNESOTA.

TRAFFIC LstiKSOQ;

Specification of Letters Patent.

SIGNAL.

Patented May 30, 1922.

Application filed November 29, 1520. Serial No. 427,217.

To all iii/20m i2- may concern.

Be it known that 1, R01 D. Douemss, am a citizen or" the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tralfic Signals; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My present invention has for its object to provide an extremely simple and highly efficient traflic signal for semiphorcs for use in connection with automobiles or motor propelled vehicles tor giving various signals as to the direction in which the vehicle is about to turn, and to such ends, the invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and dcfined in the claims. p

This improved tratiic signal, in so far as its major operations are concerned. is iiie rl1aii-- ical as distinguished irom electrical and has no parts that are at all liable to get out of order; but the semaphore arms are preferably provided with illuminating de vices including light bulbs in th arms. and electrical connections therefor, whereby the current will be closed through the bulbs oi the respective arms, will be enclosed in closed circuits when and only when such arm is thrown outward or downward to givetho direction signal. This illumination of the semaphore arm or arms is desirable at all times.

One or more semaphore arms may be provided, but there should be one such arm on each side of the machine. The semaphore arms are preferably under spring strain to move downward or into projected signalling positions, but are restrained from such movements by latch keys which, when operated, release the co-operating semaphore arm. For retracting or bringing the semaphore arms back to normal or neutral positions, I provid a so-called retractor and suitable cable connections. the arrangement being such that a movement of thetractor in one direction will retract the semiphore arm on the one side, andthe movement of the tractor in the other direction will bring the other semaphore arm back to normal or neutral position, in which normal or neutral positions, said arms will be held by the latch keys until the one or the other thereof is released.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings:

F g. l is a perspective showing the single device applied to an automobile, the latter beilng diagrammatically indicated in part on y;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 22 of Figs. 1 and 3, the semaphore arm being turned downward or outward as indicated in Fig. 3;

F 3 is a section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2, some parts being broken away;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view in elevation showing a portion of the illuminated heat of the semaphore arm;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 5, with the light bulb removed;

Fig. 7 is a rear elevation showing the latch keys, the tractor and easing therefor;

Figs. 8 and 9 are vertical sections taken on the line 89 of Fig. 7, looking at the same, respectively, toward the right and toward the left; and a Fig. 10 is a section taken on the line 101O of Fig. 8.

Of the parts of the automobile, it is only desirable, for the purposes of this case, to particularly note the body 11, the instrument board 12, the hood 13 and the wind shield 14.

For supporting the semaphore arms one at each side of the machine and in the vicinity of the wind shield. I preferably provide two stiff bent meta-l tubes 15 having upright outer ends and horizontal lower portions, the latter of which are preferably extended through the hood 13 and along the instrument board 12 and rigidly secured thereto. The upper ends of these tubes 15 are rigidly secured to and openinto tubular posts 16 that are tangentially secured to cup-like case sections 17-. These case sections 17 are provided with sleeve-like hubs 18 through and rigidly secured to which are head studs 19. The numeral 20 indicates coiled springs anchored at one end to the fixed hubs 18 and attached at their outer ends to oscillatory drums on flanged disks 22 that are mounted on the respective studs 19 and under strain to oscillate said drums. Each so-called drum 22 has a curved rim portion 23 that affords a segmental sheave 7 in which works and to which is secured one end of a flexible cable 24. The drum 22 is formed with internal stop shoulders 25 that are spaced "1 little more than ninety degrees apart and alternately engage with a fixed stop lug 26 on the fixed case sect-ion 17. The numeral 27 indicates a cup-like case section that is mounted to oscillate on the stud 1'9 and cooperates with the case section 17 to form a complete case that encloses the drum' 22. The oscillatory case section 27 isprovided with a radially projecting tubular semaphore arm 28, which, at its free or outer end, is provided with asemaphore head 30 that containsa light bulb 31 and is provided at its front and rear faces with glass or transparent panes 30 The" light bulb 81 may be secured in the head 30 by any suitable form of holder, but, as shown, it is interlocked by bayonet joints 32 to ayoke-like socket plate 33 that detachably holds the bulb with its contacts 34 engaged with fixed contacts 35, which latter are applied at the outer end of the semaphore arm 28 and connected one to each of two light circuit wires shown as contained in a cable 36, said two wires, at their inner ends, being connected to contact screws 37. These two contact screws 37, see particularly Figs. 3 and 4. are insulated from each other and project slightly into the movable case section 27, and, normally, each engages with contact screws 38 that are insulated from each other and project radially through the rim of the drum 22. When the semaphore arm is turned outward and downward to approximately a horizontal position, the contact screws 38 will engage with contacts 39 that are insulated from each other and carried by a flange 40 on the hub of the fixed case section 17. These contacts 39 are connected each to one of two wires, which, as shown, are contained in an insulating cable 41 that extends through the co-operating supporting tube 15 to a battery or other source of ourrent'supply, not shown. Under normal conditions, the drum 22 and case section 27 move together and operate as a single element and are caused to do this by a yielding clutch shown asafi'orded by a spring-pressed ball 42 carried by the drum 22 and engageable with an outwardly pressed pocket 43 formed in the flange of said movable case section 27, (see Fig. 4).

The semaphore operating cables 24 are extended from the respective drums 22 through the co-operating supporting tubes 15 and areattached to and work in the segmental sheaves 44 of latch disks 45 that are loosely mounted on the shaft 46 of the socalled retractor. Said shaft 46 is journaled in a casing 47, which, as shown, is rigidly secured by nut-equipped screws 48 to the instrument board 12. The shaft 46 projects to the exposed side of the instrument board 12 and is provided with an operative handle or'lever 49 within easy reach of the chauffeur or person operating the automobile. Secured to the shaft 46 and working between the disks 45 is an arm 50, the head of which is engageable with laterally projecting shoulders 51 at the extremities of the segmental sheaves 44 of the two disks 45.

For co-operation with each latch disk 45 is a latch in the form of a sliding key 52. These two latch keys 52 work through seats in the case 47 and in the instrument board 12 and are preferably provided with beads 53 within easy reach of the chauffeur or operator of the automobile. These keys 52 are spring-pressed toward the right in respect to Fig. 9 and toward the left in respect to Fig. 8, or, in other words, towardv the operator, by coiled springs 45, shown in said two figures just noted, but see also Fig. 10.

Each disk 45 has an oblique cam-acting lug 54 projecting laterally from. a peripheral portion thereof. Laterally projecting lugs 55, on the ends of the latch keys 52, limit their movements under the actions of the springs 54, and each key has a latch flange 56, (see Figs. 8 and 9), that co-operates with the cam lug 54 on the co-operating disk 45 and normally engages the same to hold the two semaphore arms in raised normal or neutral positions. The keys 52 also have flanges that are cut away so that they clear the disks 45 and their cam lugs 54, except for the above noted engagement by the cain lugs 45 and latch flanges 56.

0 para, tion.

The operation of the signal mechanism described is substantially as follows:

Normally, both semaphore arms will be in raised normal or neutral positions, but both will be under spring tension to move outward and downward into approximately horizontal positions under the strain from the co-operating torsion springs 20 operating directly on the drums 22 and indirectlv on the movable case sections 27. Such ddwnward movements of said semaphore arms, however, is normally restrained or prevent ed by engagement of the latch flanges 56 with the lugs 54 of the latch disks 45.

When the automobile intends to turn toward the left, for example, the left-hand latch key 52 will be pressed forward, there by disengaging its latch flange 56 from the cam lug 54 of the co-operating disk 45, and this will release the left-hand semaphore arm and permit the same to be thrown to its horizontal projected position, by the co-operating spring 20, thereby giving a warning or signal that the machine is about to turn in the direction stated.

\Vhen the machine intends to turn toward the right, the right-hand latch key 52 will be pressed forward and therefore the righthand semaphore arm will, in a similar mannor, be released and thrown into its horizontally projected position.

It will thus be noted that the projecting of a semaphore arm for signalling purposes may be very quickly and easily accomplished. It is, of course, desirable that when one of the semaphore arms has been released and projected, that it be returned or restored to its normal position before the semaphore arm on the other side is released and projected, for otherwise two conflicting signals would be given. To restore either of the released semaphore arms to normal position, it is only necessary to oscillate the arm 49 of the retractor, in the proper direction. For example, to restore the left-hand semaphore arm to its normal position, the arm 49 will be oscillated toward the right, and to restore the right-hand semaphore arm to its normal position, said arm will be oscillated toward the left. \V hen said arm 49 is thus oscillated, the head of the arm 50, engaging the shoulder 51 of the released disk 45, moves said disk back to normal position, thereby causing its cam lug 54: to cam itself again into interlocking engagement with the latch flange 56 of the co-operating latch key This so-called retractor, therefore, positively and in a very simple manner, is operative, at will, to restore either of the two semaphore arms to normal or reset neutral positions.

WVhat I claim is:

1. The combination with a pivoted arm, of yielding means tending to move said arm into a projected position, a retracting connection extended from said arm, a latch normally active on said connect-ion to hold said arm in a retracted normal position, but movable to release the same, and a manually operated retractor operative on said connection to move the same back to normal position and to again subject the same to said latch, said arm being connected to its operating connection by a device that will slip under excessive pressure.

2. The combination with a pair of arms under yielding strain to move from normal into projected positions, of cables connected one to each of said arms, closely associated latches operative on said cables to hold the respective arms in normal positions, and a common retractor operative under different movements to subject said cables to said latches and thereby hold said arms in retracted positions.

3. The combination with a pair of supports of a drum-like sheave journaled on each such support, an arm projecting radially from and movable with each of said sheaves, springs tending to move said arms from normal into projected positions, latch disks, an oscillatory retractor shaft provided with a hand piece and an arm, shcaveequipped latch disks journaled on said retractor shaft, cables connecting the sheaves of said arms with the sheaves of said latch disks, and latch keys operative one 011 each of said latch disks, the arm of said retractor shaft being operative by reverse movements to restore the arms to normal positions and to subject said latch disks to the respective latch keys.

4. The combination with a pair of arms under yielding strain to move from normal into projected positions, of cables connected one to each of said arms, closely associated latches operative on said cables to hold the respective arms in normal positions, and a common retractor operative under different movements to subject said cables to said latches and thereby hold said arms in retracted positions, the connections between said cables and arms including coupling devices that will slip under excessive pressure. 7

5. The combination with an instrument board, of arms carried at the opposite sides of said instrument board, yielding means tending to project said arms, arm-retracting cables connected to the respective arms and extended inward to the central portion of said instrument board, an oscillatory retractor shaft mounted on the instrument board and having a hand piece and an arm. sheave-equipped latch disks independently journaled on said retractor shaft and having shoulders with which the arm of said shaft is engageable under movements in opposite directions, said disks having cam-actin latch lugs, and independent spring-presse( keys co-operating with the cam lugs on the respective latch keys and normally holding said arms in retracted positions.

6. The combination with a support, of a sheave-equipped drum journaled on said support, a movable case section connected to said drum by a yielding coupling that will slip only under excessive pressure, an arm carried by said case section and normally movable with said drum, a spring operative on said drum with a force tending to move said arm into a projected position, and a cable attached to said drum and extended to a point where it may be manipulated to restore said arm to a normally retracted position and to release the same.

7. The combination with a support of a sheave-equipped drum journaled on said support, a movable case section connected to said drum by a yielding coupling that will slip only under excessive pressure, an arm carried by said case section and normally 

